The social network and TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, have engaged in"preliminary" discussions about merging TikTok's US operations with Twitter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous individuals.A TikTok rep said via email Sunday ,"As a matter of corporate policy we do not comment on market rumors."
On Friday, TikTok called Trump's order a"dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets" and said it was planning to fight the ban in court. Microsoft has said it is looking at acquiring TikTok's US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand businesses, and the tech behemoth also reportedly is considering acquiring all of TikTok's operations.
The Trump administration's actions against TikTok and Tencent-owned WeChat are part of an escalating economic fight between the U.S. and China.